There are signs that consumers are responding. TV-antenna seller
Richard Schneider of St. Louis says sales at his company are soaring.
Mr. Schneider's Antennas Direct sold 70,000 antennas in January, and he
expects to double last year's sales of about 600,000. That was up from
400,000 antennas in 2010.

Mr. Schneider's antennas cost from $50 to $150, and he says the
typical customer saves $96 a month by "cutting the cord" on cable or
satellite TV, according a survey his company conducted.

The average monthly bills for basic cable service and broadband
service add up $91.44, before add-ons like high definition and premium
channels, according to SNL Kagan. By sacrificing basic-cable channels,
and signing up for Netflix Inc., a household could pay less than $48 per month.

"Every time that Hulu and Netflix enhance their services, our phones
light up," said Mr., Schneider, referring to two online-video services.